Who Is Vera Kelly?, Rosalie Knecht
Who Is Vera Kelly?, Rosalie Knecht
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Who Is Vera Kelly?

Author: Rosalie Knecht

Narrator: Elisabeth Rodgers

Unabridged: 6 hr 50 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/12/2018


Synopsis

New York City, 1962. Vera Kelly is struggling to make rent and blend into the underground gay scene in Greenwich Village. She’s working night shifts at a radio station when her quick wits, sharp tongue, and technical skills get her noticed by a recruiter for the CIA. Next thing she knows she’s in Argentina, tasked with wiretapping a congressman and infiltrating a group of student activists in Buenos Aires. As Vera becomes more and more enmeshed with the young radicals, the fragile local government begins to split at the seams.When a betrayal leaves her stranded in the wake of a coup, Vera learns the Cold War makes for strange and unexpected bedfellows, and she’s forced to take extreme measures to save herself.An exhilarating coming-of-age story, Who Is Vera Kelly? introduces an original, wry, and whip-smart female spy for the twenty-first century.

About Rosalie Knecht

Rosalie Knecht is the author of Who is Vera Kelly? and Relief Map, and the translator of César Aira’s The Seamstress and the Wind. She lives in New Jersey.

About Elisabeth Rodgers

Elisabeth Rodgers is an actress and AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. After graduating from Princeton University, she completed a two-year program at William Esper Studio, where she studied with Maggie Flanigan. Her audiobook narration training came from Robin Miles, who has also directed her in several productions. She has recorded dozens of books for a multitude of publishers.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Navessa on January 07, 2018

“Call the State Department. I’m CIA.” Ooooh, this was good. Part spy thriller, part character study, and part historical fiction. This book is told through a delicate interweaving of past and present. The past chapters chronicle the Vera’s youth, her troubled relationship with her mother, her brie......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on June 12, 2018

I received this book for free from the publisher (Tin House Books) in exchange for an honest review. I give this book 3.5 stars which rounds up to 4. This book is a slow burn. It’s not your typical spy novel. It’s on the slow side and there isn’t much action. I was expecting some twists and turns to......more


Quotes

"[A] gripping, subtle, magnificently written new spy novel.” New York Times

“A slow-burn espionage thriller, a complex treatment of queer identity, and an immersive period piece all rolled into one delectable page-turner.” Entertainment Weekly

“Narrator Elisabeth Rodgers’…facility with the Spanish phrases and place names brings to life Vera’s experience in Argentina. The result is a captivating listening experience. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.” AudioFile

“This is the literary spy novel you need in your life.” Bustle magazine

“There’s political intrigue, spy craft, solid location work, and all the things you would want from espionage fiction.” Crime Reads

“Noir and full of ambiguities, doubles, and double-crosses.” Literary Hub

“A buzzing, smoky, gin-soaked charmer…[with] all the edgy fun of classic noir but in an original voice that’s fresh, brisk, and snappy.” Library Journal

“By the end of Who is Vera Kelly? the reader is rooting for Vera to claim her much deserved personal freedom as much as succeed as a spy.” NPR

“The character readers have been waiting for. A riveting, satisfying novel.” Kirkus Reviews

“A tangled, atmospheric story that gradually builds suspense to a satisfyingly surprising denouement.” Booklist


Awards

  • Huffington Post Pick
  • Bustle Pick
  • Audible Pick
  • Literary Hub Pick
  • New York Times Pick
  • Amazon Best Book of the Month
  • Harper’s Bazaar Pick
  • Chicago Review of Books Pick
  • Elle Magazine Pick
  • Entertainment Weekly Pick
  • CrimeReads Pick
  • AudioFile Earphones Award
  • them selection
  • BookRiot Pick
  • BuzzFeed Books Pick
  • NPR Best Book of the Year